University of Missouri
North Dakota State
No. 10 Wrestling Hosts No. 15 North Dakota State, Dec. 20
12/19/2022 11:08:00 AM | Wrestling
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 10-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team welcomes No. 15 North Dakota State to Columbia, Mo. Tuesday, Dec. 20. The conference dual will start at 6:30 p.m. inside the Hearnes Center.
— PREVIOUSLY — Mizzou fell 17-15 to No. 9-ranked Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Dec. 11. Redshirt senior Allan Hart (141) and redshirt junior Brock Mauller (149) put the Tigers on the board with 8-2 and 7-5 decisions, respectively. Sophomores Keegan O'Toole and Rocky Elam grabbed decisions of their own. O'Toole came out on top, 8-4, at 165 pounds, while R. Elam dominated at 197 pounds with a 7-0 result. Behind 17-12 entering the 285 matchup, redshirt junior Zach Elam earned a 4-2 decision as Missouri just fell short of the road win.
— REIGNING, DEFENDING, UNDISPUTED — Defending national champion sophomore Keegan O'Toole defeated Virginia Tech's No. 22-ranked Connor Brady in an 8-4 decision, Dec. 11. The win extended his streak to 36 consecutive bouts dating back to the 2021 NCAA Championships. O'Toole is the top-ranked 165-pounder by all major publications and is ranked sixth by FloWrestling on the pound-for-pound list.
— NEW NO. 1 — The 197-pound weight class has a new name at No. 1. Sophomore Rocky Elam is the No. 1 197-pound wrestler by all major publications after Penn State's Max Dean lost at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Elam previously defeated then No. 15- ranked Kordell Norfleet at Arizona State, Nov. 17, and No. 2-ranked Jacob Warner of Iowa in an exhibition bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic, Nov. 22. Those performances were enough to move the sophomore to the No. 2 ranking, Dec. 6.
— MAN IN CHARGE — Mizzou Athletics announced the extension of Head Coach Brian Smith's contract through the 2026-27 season Monday, Dec. 5. Smith is in his 25th season at the helm of the program and looks to lead a stacked team full of aspirations in 2022-23. He has led the Tigers to 21 consecutive seasons with a dual record at-or-above .500 and has coached 29 All-Americans and six national champions. He is the winningest coach in program history, with a record of 320-115-4.
— ALL-TIME vs. NORTH DAKOTA STATE — Missouri is a perfect 5-0 against North Dakota State all-time and 1-0 in the Hearnes Center. The first meeting between the Tigers and Bison was in 2011-12, where Mizzou defeated NDSU 24-9 at the Virginia Duals.
— LAST TIME vs. THE BISON — The Tigers topped the Bison 37-3 in their season-opener last year, Nov. 11, 2021. Keegan O'Toole led the way in a dominating showing, taking down No. 6 Luke Weber by fall at 165 pounds. O'Toole's pin was the second of four ranked wins for the Tigers with Trey Crawford beating No. 28 Kellyn March (133 pounds), Rocky Elam defeating No. 16 Owen Pentz (197 pounds), and Zach Elam holding on to best U23 world team member, and No. 23-ranked, Brandon Metz (285 pounds).
— (13) JACQUES vs. (6) FRANEK — The potential 157-pound matchup that everyone wants to see, No. 13 Jarrett Jacques versus No. 6 Jared Franek. The wrestlers have crossed paths in three previous matches, with Franek holding a 2-1 advantage. Jacques won the first meeting, Nov. 11, 2021, via a 6-4 decision. Franek has won the last two encounters, and all three have been decided by decision.
— MILESTONE WATCH — Redshirt junior Brock Mauller is currently the team's winningest active wrestler. At 93 career wins, Mauller has the chance to become the 29th Tiger to enter the exclusive 100-Win Club. Senior Jarrett Jacques is right on Mauller's heels with 92 wins of his own.
— GO WITH THE FLO — Mizzou wrestling will be on FloWreslting for the 2022-23 season. Fans can find all home duals on the streaming platform.
— UP NEXT — They Tigers return to action on New Year's Day as they take on the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. The two-day event hosted by the Chattanooga Mocs begins Sunday, Jan. 1 and concludes Monday, Jan. 2 inside McKenzie Arena.
Players Mentioned
